If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

What it says on the title.

The party has already agreed to using our home city for the base of operations. Simply because we don't have to start remembering details of the geography of other city's this way.

Spoiler: Party composition.

Show

2 White court Vampires feeding on Lust.

1 White Court Vampire Feeding on Fear.

1 Pyromaniac Sorcerer on the run from the White Council.

1 Scion Bone-Demon Dude. (I anticipate this will not be hard as he's played this character in a one shot already and still has the sheet. )

1 Scion geared toward the "Hulk Smash!" school of problem solving. (I'm just going to tweak the changeling template to assume the supernatural part of the bloodline ISN'T always actively trying to take over there lives for be discarded, one or the other.)

1 Valkyrie.

1 Vennatori member (Not one that knows about The Oblivion War, just a "normal" one, or as normal as they get.).

And 1 player whom has yet to pick a concept. (He's a friend of the Valkerie Player. Military buddy. Apparently he's got some stuff going one professionally right this particular moment, so I'm cutting him slack. )

I need some help figuring out the GM side of the screen for the game. (I'm not super experienced with the system, but I've GM'd D&D before.)

And I need some help with character creation, because I've got a party full of people who have only played once or twice with preen's before now, or not at all, and have minimal setting knowledge. (I've read all the currently out books except 1 or 2 of the comics. Another player has read the main novels but not the short story's, he's running the sorcerer. A third player has read 3 of the novels and is working on novel 4, but has had spoilers. She's running the Vennatori and has heard about and likes the idea of a cat-like version of Harry's Companion Mouse. And I have the Fear Based White Court member who's reading book 2 right now.)

The Venatori Member is interested in having access too a Pet/Companion that's cat Themed and operates in a comparable capacity to Mouse. I know Mouse is a Scion, but how to I make that work for what is effectively a power/aspect for a character rather than a character in it's own right?

She's also interested in the idea of having a spirit akin to Bob. How do I go about doing this?

Note: I WANT to let her have these things, they sound cool. And it gives her a trick or two she can bust out with out needing magic of her own, that let's her keep hanging out in something like the weight class of the more magical party members. It also means because she's got things that fight for her at her command, she personally doesn't need to invest as much in combat related skills, and can focus more on being a social and money based manipulator and information agent.

I'm just trying to figure out how to get it to mesh with the games mechanics.

I'm also unsure where precisely a Valkyrie would fall in terms of being stated out. I know the player wants to focus less on Rune Magic and more on being superhumanly good with guns and explosives, and that I should probably give her inhuman or supernatural strength, stamina, speed and/or recovery, but still figuring out the exact distributions of those. And if there's anything else that would qualify as a must have.

Apart form that, I need general help with the system form the GM chair. How does combat work on the GM side, what happens if the characters advance past the higher starting power level. That sort of thing.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Question, are you going to playe Fate, as in Fate Core System, or Dresden Files RPG?
Also, if you haven't got experience with the system, I'd consider running a couple of one-shots with simpler characters to get used to it first.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Dresdenfiles RPG.

I've run in a couple of one shots, but I wasn't GMing those. Most of us had somewhat simple characters. But a few of the people for this group failed to make those games. And the rest wanted to try something different. (The one who was there and stayed the most consistent is only changing her White court vampire emotion from Despair to Fear.)

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

Dresdenfiles RPG.

I've run in a couple of one shots, but I wasn't GMing those. Most of us had somewhat simple characters. But a few of the people for this group failed to make those games. And the rest wanted to try something different. (The one who was there and stayed the most consistent is only changing her White court vampire emotion from Despair to Fear.)

Okay, then I fear I won't be much help, as I only really know about Fate. But I may have an idea about this:

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

The Venatori Member is interested in having access too a Pet/Companion that's cat Themed and operates in a comparable capacity to Mouse. I know Mouse is a Scion, but how to I make that work for what is effectively a power/aspect for a character rather than a character in it's own right?

If Dresden Files works similarly to Fate, you can basically treat everything as a character (that is, everything can have aspects, skills, and stunts). To deal with an animal companion, what I'd do is treat it as an extra. Say, every character can have one extra with 1 aspect, 1 stunt, and a small skill pyramid (1 skill at +2, 2 skills at +1). Then, the player who wants a pet can use the extra stuff to flesh out their companion and give them some weight in the game, and the others can have some nice extra stuff.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Bob is actually pretty easy. Going by what he'd be in Fate Core, 1 Refresh, +2 to Lore rolls related to the supernatural in [Bob's location], occasionally unavailable due to having been allowed out. That's a pretty powerful +2, but the chances are that most of the adventure isn't happening where the player has kept Bob.

Using Bob as Butters does is a lot more complex, but I think you could still handle it with a variety of '+2 when's.

I have little idea on costing Mouse, he's a relatively competent sidekick that essentially gives you a couple of higher skills. That's definitely Refresh-worthy, maybe even worth sacrificing skill points, and the sidekick should probably draw from the character's FP instead of having its own pool, but beyond that I'm unsure.

Snazzy avatar (now back! ) by Honest Tiefling.

RIP Laser-Snail, may you live on in our hearts forever.

Spoiler: playground quotes

Show

Originally Posted by Zelphas

So here I am, trapped in my laboratory, trying to create a Mechabeast that's powerful enough to take down the howling horde outside my door, but also won't join them once it realizes what I've done...twentieth time's the charm, right?

Originally Posted by Lord Raziere

How about a Jovian Uplift stuck in a Case morph? it makes so little sense.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by MrSandman

Okay, then I fear I won't be much help, as I only really know about Fate. But I may have an idea about this:

If Dresden Files works similarly to Fate, you can basically treat everything as a character (that is, everything can have aspects, skills, and stunts). To deal with an animal companion, what I'd do is treat it as an extra. Say, every character can have one extra with 1 aspect, 1 stunt, and a small skill pyramid (1 skill at +2, 2 skills at +1). Then, the player who wants a pet can use the extra stuff to flesh out their companion and give them some weight in the game, and the others can have some nice extra stuff.

It does work similarly to FATE. In fact, it's based in FATE. It's a campaign setting/expansion pack for FATE.

Alright, so, Skill Tree for a Cat creature, what does that look like? And what would be a good aspect for a Cat-Scion? (I have an idea of the stunt.).

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Anonymouswizard

Bob is actually pretty easy. Going by what he'd be in Fate Core, 1 Refresh, +2 to Lore rolls related to the supernatural in [Bob's location], occasionally unavailable due to having been allowed out. That's a pretty powerful +2, but the chances are that most of the adventure isn't happening where the player has kept Bob.

Using Bob as Butters does is a lot more complex, but I think you could still handle it with a variety of '+2 when's.

I have little idea on costing Mouse, he's a relatively competent sidekick that essentially gives you a couple of higher skills. That's definitely Refresh-worthy, maybe even worth sacrificing skill points, and the sidekick should probably draw from the character's FP instead of having its own pool, but beyond that I'm unsure.

So, it would just be like a power item, similar too but not quite as out there as one of the Swords Of The Cross?

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

It does work similarly to FATE. In fact, it's based in FATE. It's a campaign setting/expansion pack for FATE.

Alright, so, Skill Tree for a Cat creature, what does that look like? And what would be a good aspect for a Cat-Scion? (I have an idea of the stunt.).

I haven't got access to the full skill list right now (nor do I really know what a scion is, I haven't read enough of Dresden Files yet), but stuff like Athletics and Notice seems like a good fit for a cat.

Regarding the aspect, it highly depends on how your player wants to characterise it. I could come up with a couple of examples for a normal cat, but a scion cat escapes my knowledge, I'm afraid.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by MrSandman

I haven't got access to the full skill list right now (nor do I really know what a scion is, I haven't read enough of Dresden Files yet), but stuff like Athletics and Notice seems like a good fit for a cat.

Regarding the aspect, it highly depends on how your player wants to characterise it. I could come up with a couple of examples for a normal cat, but a scion cat escapes my knowledge, I'm afraid.

Scion's are half breeds. Usually between a human and a supernatural creature. However it does occasionally happen that something based on/similar too a Dog or a Cat or the like will breed with the vanilla version, and produce one of these half breeds as well.

There Supernatural beings and can be rather powerful, depending on what the parents are and how much effort they put into it.

It's a Cat so I'd settle for it being able to pull 1-2 neat and potentially useful in the right situation tricks out and have done with it.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

With regards to items of power, that might actually be good for a spirit of intellect. They're incredibly powerful tools (you know how knowledge is power?) even if you aren't using them to power other things, but they have the limitation that they need to be there, and from what we've seen of Bob a properly warded home can be quite fragile.

Bare in mind I don't own the Dresden Files books, I'm going of their similarity to Core (which is much simpler).

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

Scion's are half breeds. Usually between a human and a supernatural creature. However it does occasionally happen that something based on/similar too a Dog or a Cat or the like will breed with the vanilla version, and produce one of these half breeds as well.

There Supernatural beings and can be rather powerful, depending on what the parents are and how much effort they put into it.

It's a Cat so I'd settle for it being able to pull 1-2 neat and potentially useful in the right situation tricks out and have done with it.

Bare in mind that Mouse gets quite a bit of power from the boundary he guards. It's why he's stronger when living in the Carpenter household than the Dresden one, although that household barely needs him.

A basic cat likely has Athletics and/or Notice at +2, the other at +1, and Fight plus maybe a couple of other skills at +1 (stealth seems good). A Scion cat might believably have multiple skills at +2 or even one at +3, Mouse probably does (although he's also a big dog), plus a couple of supernatural powers or stunts. Realistically Mouse has the potential to hit plot device levels of power (+6!) in guarding and the like, although from what I've read (most of the novels, including the latest four) I think he's only hit around +4 or +5 levels of power.

Snazzy avatar (now back! ) by Honest Tiefling.

RIP Laser-Snail, may you live on in our hearts forever.

Spoiler: playground quotes

Show

Originally Posted by Zelphas

So here I am, trapped in my laboratory, trying to create a Mechabeast that's powerful enough to take down the howling horde outside my door, but also won't join them once it realizes what I've done...twentieth time's the charm, right?

Originally Posted by Lord Raziere

How about a Jovian Uplift stuck in a Case morph? it makes so little sense.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Anonymouswizard

With regards to items of power, that might actually be good for a spirit of intellect. They're incredibly powerful tools (you know how knowledge is power?) even if you aren't using them to power other things, but they have the limitation that they need to be there, and from what we've seen of Bob a properly warded home can be quite fragile.

Bare in mind I don't own the Dresden Files books, I'm going of their similarity to Core (which is much simpler).

Bare in mind that Mouse gets quite a bit of power from the boundary he guards. It's why he's stronger when living in the Carpenter household than the Dresden one, although that household barely needs him.

A basic cat likely has Athletics and/or Notice at +2, the other at +1, and Fight plus maybe a couple of other skills at +1 (stealth seems good). A Scion cat might believably have multiple skills at +2 or even one at +3, Mouse probably does (although he's also a big dog), plus a couple of supernatural powers or stunts. Realistically Mouse has the potential to hit plot device levels of power (+6!) in guarding and the like, although from what I've read (most of the novels, including the latest four) I think he's only hit around +4 or +5 levels of power.

Alright. What about the Valkyrie. Any ideas on how to get her up and running?

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

Oh, and How do I get her to simulate being superhumanly good at marksmanship/gun fighting? Aside form maxing that skill. Anything else I should take to help that along?

When in doubt, Stunts.

Seriously, IIRC powers in Dresden Files are like fairly broad stunts. So just have them take a bunch of Shoot stunts and maybe allow them to stack if you really want to play it up.

Or a homebrew power. Supernatural Accuracy: you gain a +2 to Athletics rolls to throw objects or Shoot rolls to use a weapon. That's probably 2-3 Refresh right there, you could also potentially set it up so you have the multiple levels of the other 'enhance physical abilities' powers. Anything more specific, well that's really a Stunt isn't it?

Snazzy avatar (now back! ) by Honest Tiefling.

RIP Laser-Snail, may you live on in our hearts forever.

Spoiler: playground quotes

Show

Originally Posted by Zelphas

So here I am, trapped in my laboratory, trying to create a Mechabeast that's powerful enough to take down the howling horde outside my door, but also won't join them once it realizes what I've done...twentieth time's the charm, right?

Originally Posted by Lord Raziere

How about a Jovian Uplift stuck in a Case morph? it makes so little sense.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Anonymouswizard

When in doubt, Stunts.

Seriously, IIRC powers in Dresden Files are like fairly broad stunts. So just have them take a bunch of Shoot stunts and maybe allow them to stack if you really want to play it up.

Or a homebrew power. Supernatural Accuracy: you gain a +2 to Athletics rolls to throw objects or Shoot rolls to use a weapon. That's probably 2-3 Refresh right there, you could also potentially set it up so you have the multiple levels of the other 'enhance physical abilities' powers. Anything more specific, well that's really a Stunt isn't it?

Alright. That probably covers that then.

Another thing I don't think I'm understanding right. Buying new ability's other than skills is all done with Fate Points. Is there no ability to gain new ability's as part of character creation? Maybe I just missed it but I don't think I saw that in the book when Milestones were explained.

And, well, part of the fun of playing a Sorcerer or a White Court Vampire or a Valkyrie is that you can learn to do new magics and take them to higher levels, so, I expect that to be a thing that can be done.

Yes I know Fate points represent choice and power restricts choice, blah blah blah, we know that there are exceptions to this rule. Mortal Magic Users who don't break the rules can get crazy powerful, and White Court Vampires, even one's like Thomas who make the choice to Control themselves, get immensely strong, to the point that they can kill by simply being in proximity to a victim.

So, is there a mechanic for this? Something for awarding the ability buy some extra refresh and have some extra points going toward that every now and then? Is that something you just spend extra fate points above your refresh on for bigger milestones?

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Well, when you get a milestone (a major one, is it?) you get one extra point of refresh, which you can use to get new stunts or make the ones you've got note powerful. In fact, nothing stops you from starting the game with, say, 6 refresh instead of 3 or from giving milestones more often.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by MrSandman

Well, when you get a milestone (a major one, is it?) you get one extra point of refresh, which you can use to get new stunts or make the ones you've got note powerful. In fact, nothing stops you from starting the game with, say, 6 refresh instead of 3 or from giving milestones more often.

IIRC in the DFRPG you tend to begin with 6+ Refresh, but no free Stunts. 10+ starting Refresh is not uncommon.

But yeah, the key thing is that Refresh from Major Milestones (in theory where every book in a series or every series of a TV Show would end, in practice probably more often) can be spent on exactly the same way as starting Refresh.

Snazzy avatar (now back! ) by Honest Tiefling.

RIP Laser-Snail, may you live on in our hearts forever.

Spoiler: playground quotes

Show

Originally Posted by Zelphas

So here I am, trapped in my laboratory, trying to create a Mechabeast that's powerful enough to take down the howling horde outside my door, but also won't join them once it realizes what I've done...twentieth time's the charm, right?

Originally Posted by Lord Raziere

How about a Jovian Uplift stuck in a Case morph? it makes so little sense.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

... ... ... the book really could stand to be clearer about that. I really did not get that detail from reading it so far.

Does anyone know of like a PDF document anyone's made that can be printed in word or something and had the powers and stunts listed on it? I'd like something like that so I can make a couple of reference sheets and paperclip them to my GM screen for quick reference.

Maybe one that explains what the difference between invoking, tagging and compelling an Aspect are, cause I KNOWN if I don't have that in front of me for the first few sessions I'm going to keep getting the terms mixed up with one another's effects.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

Maybe one that explains what the difference between invoking, tagging and compelling an Aspect are, cause I KNOWN if I don't have that in front of me for the first few sessions I'm going to keep getting the terms mixed up with one another's effects.

Trying to remember Tagging, I think it might have changed it's name in Core. Either that or I've just never used it that much, when I played Fate Invokes and Compels were king (although my players had trouble getting the fact that they could Compel).

I recommend picking up the Fate Core book, because the back has a good overview sheet, although the mechanics are different. The pdf is PWYW, and it's essentially a streamlined version of the Dresden Files rules.

Snazzy avatar (now back! ) by Honest Tiefling.

RIP Laser-Snail, may you live on in our hearts forever.

Spoiler: playground quotes

Show

Originally Posted by Zelphas

So here I am, trapped in my laboratory, trying to create a Mechabeast that's powerful enough to take down the howling horde outside my door, but also won't join them once it realizes what I've done...twentieth time's the charm, right?

Originally Posted by Lord Raziere

How about a Jovian Uplift stuck in a Case morph? it makes so little sense.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Anonymouswizard

Trying to remember Tagging, I think it might have changed it's name in Core. Either that or I've just never used it that much, when I played Fate Invokes and Compels were king (although my players had trouble getting the fact that they could Compel).

I recommend picking up the Fate Core book, because the back has a good overview sheet, although the mechanics are different. The pdf is PWYW, and it's essentially a streamlined version of the Dresden Files rules.

Tagging is the old name for free invocations.

@Metahuman1 It's not a nice sheet, but here's an easy list that you can print:

Invoking: Spending a fate point to take advantage of an aspectTagging: Invoking an aspect for free (generally because you've rolled real good when creating/discovering it)Compelling: Spending a fate point to force someone else to mess up something because of one of their aspects

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Anonymouswizard: I don't have any spare money for the books. I barely had like $8 for a thing of Fate Dice for the group. I only have The Dresden book because someone else I know lent it too me.

MrSandman: Thanks!

Does anyone know if they put out condensed need to know readers digest versions of some of the information? I'm looking for stuff the spell casting characters (Sorcerer and now that one of the Vamps has changed his mind, Warden Of The White Council Wizard.) and the White Court Vamps can have handed too them that has all the really important stuff for running a spell caster or a white court vamp (How there various magics/powers work, how the Laws of Magic work, bare bones need to know information about there faction, this sort of thing.).

I'd also love to find something I can have behind my GM screen that has a table for powers and stunts. "Stunt Name: Gives X bonus to Y thing/under Z circumstance." and "Power Name: Allows player to do X thing under Y circumstance, or ignore Z requirement to do X thing."

Anyone know of anything like that floating around, dirt cheap if not free? Maybe? I hope?

It's not a great way to learn the system, but once you know it it's a good reference and the cheat sheet in the back is amazing.

Snazzy avatar (now back! ) by Honest Tiefling.

RIP Laser-Snail, may you live on in our hearts forever.

Spoiler: playground quotes

Show

Originally Posted by Zelphas

So here I am, trapped in my laboratory, trying to create a Mechabeast that's powerful enough to take down the howling horde outside my door, but also won't join them once it realizes what I've done...twentieth time's the charm, right?

Originally Posted by Lord Raziere

How about a Jovian Uplift stuck in a Case morph? it makes so little sense.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

Does anyone know if they put out condensed need to know readers digest versions of some of the information? I'm looking for stuff the spell casting characters (Sorcerer and now that one of the Vamps has changed his mind, Warden Of The White Council Wizard.) and the White Court Vamps can have handed too them that has all the really important stuff for running a spell caster or a white court vamp (How there various magics/powers work, how the Laws of Magic work, bare bones need to know information about there faction, this sort of thing.).

I'd also love to find something I can have behind my GM screen that has a table for powers and stunts. "Stunt Name: Gives X bonus to Y thing/under Z circumstance." and "Power Name: Allows player to do X thing under Y circumstance, or ignore Z requirement to do X thing."

Anyone know of anything like that floating around, dirt cheap if not free? Maybe? I hope?

You may want to look at EvilHat's downloads page. There's loads of stuff there.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Ok, been a hectic couple of days. Anyway.

I'll look into the books and list. Beyond that, I tried to get the sorcerer's sheet prepped today.

When I went into myth-weavers to set one up for him, I encountered a problem. I told it yes he was a caster, and it started asking me a bunch of questions about his spell casting that he wasn't prepared to answer and that left me uncertain on exactly what information it wanted.

Can, someone break this down for me?

Also, is it reasonable to allow him not to take Thaumagacy (The slow, ritual magic. Forgive the miss spelling, I'm away from my book ATM.), on the grounds that he's a young guy who just started having fire shoot out of his hands while under high intensity stress? He wants full evocation and the option to learn it later if the Wardens will stop dogging him, but for now, he wants to not have that cause he's so new at this.

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Metahuman1

Also, is it reasonable to allow him not to take Thaumagacy (The slow, ritual magic. Forgive the miss spelling, I'm away from my book ATM.), on the grounds that he's a young guy who just started having fire shoot out of his hands while under high intensity stress? He wants full evocation and the option to learn it later if the Wardens will stop dogging him, but for now, he wants to not have that cause he's so new at this.

Yeah, a partial caster sounds reasonable : A youngling who mastered some of his powers, but didn't figure out or will need to learn the others (like The Sight?) Though specialised evocation (like fire chaneling?) would feel like a better fit for a young self-taught sorcerer.

For your Valkyrie character, the Dresden Accelerated book (another simpler Fate based Dresden game) has a valkyrie mantle, with a fair number of thematic stunts (stuff like Choser of the dead, Flight of the Raven, Monoc Security files...). The 2 games have compatibility issues, but I can check it if you're looking for ideas for Valkyrie stunt and powers?

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Anonymouswizard

When in doubt, Stunts.

Seriously, IIRC powers in Dresden Files are like fairly broad stunts. So just have them take a bunch of Shoot stunts and maybe allow them to stack if you really want to play it up.

Or a homebrew power. Supernatural Accuracy: you gain a +2 to Athletics rolls to throw objects or Shoot rolls to use a weapon. That's probably 2-3 Refresh right there, you could also potentially set it up so you have the multiple levels of the other 'enhance physical abilities' powers. Anything more specific, well that's really a Stunt isn't it?

You could do it with both the Guns stunt from the book and one small power to represent the fact that the character is inhumanely good at it and can do some very impressive stuff.
For example :
"Fate guide my hand" : You can do trick shots simply out of the scope of normal humans, like firing though a crowd, ripping a piece of cloth or ricocheting a bullet around a street corner. Get a +2 to shoot for overcome or manoeuver rolls (not attacks) done with your gun in such circonstances. Your bullets will never strike a bystander, unless the GM compeled a Fate based aspect, like the ones created by the "choser of the dead" power

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Originally Posted by Kardwill

Yeah, a partial caster sounds reasonable : A youngling who mastered some of his powers, but didn't figure out or will need to learn the others (like The Sight?) Though specialised evocation (like fire chaneling?) would feel like a better fit for a young self-taught sorcerer.

For your Valkyrie character, the Dresden Accelerated book (another simpler Fate based Dresden game) has a valkyrie mantle, with a fair number of thematic stunts (stuff like Choser of the dead, Flight of the Raven, Monoc Security files...). The 2 games have compatibility issues, but I can check it if you're looking for ideas for Valkyrie stunt and powers?

Those are good for the Valkyrie, if you would be willing to look at it it can at least give me a work from point.

As for the Sorcerer, honestly to me the character sounds like a focused specialist pyromancer. But he's insisting on Sorcerer template. (If I'm being honest, he's kind of fussy that he can't be a fully turned Red or Black Court Vampire or a Knight Of The Blackened Denarius. He wants to be the nigh unstoppable villain who does horrible things and wins in the end. I suspect he's planning to be as difficult as possible going in. Though maybe I'm being uncharitable. I'll know for sure if he get's into the game and tries to split off from the group on a mostly permanent basis so that he can try to either have one on one sessions as an antagonist for the party, or to deliberately cause TPK's using the fact he's read the novels and most of the others haven't, or tries to make me split off and have to spend half the session just working on him. Again.).

But alright, no ritual magics. And by his own logic and his own assertions that this should be the case, he's not starting with focused items either.

So, that said, that Myth-weavers character sheet, what the heck do I even do with it to try and get the caster portion stated the rest of the way out?

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Okay, I do have my book with me, so let's look at the Valkyrie.

In DFA, a character's mantle is built with conditions (specialised consequences or stress tracks that can power some of the stunts. For example, the Clued in mortal has a "forbidden knowledge" stress track that can get him sone nice bonus in some situations, but means big trouble if he uses up all 5), core stunts, and additional stunts that can be bought with refresh.

The Valkyrie has hurt and injured conditions (that work as additionnal consequences, that can absorb stress loss but indicate that the fight might end up in her death. I think those can be covered by the inhuman or supernatural toughness powers in DFRPG), several stunts about rune magic (that you said doesn't interest your player), and these stunts
- chooser of the slain (core stunt) : once per session, the Valkyrie can decide a character is likely to die in a violent conflict. Every attack against this character during this conflict gains scale (in DFA, that means either a +1 to roll or a +2 damage). If he dies, you can then petition Odin to evaluate the slain for work at Monoc Security. The GM can suggest a strong candidate, but using the power is the Valkyrie's choice.

optional stunts :
- Einerjahr reinforcement : Once per session, you can call for one Einerjahr to join you at a future scene (+2 on everything forceful or brutal, +0 on the rest), or send a team on a task
- Perfect memory : once per session, with enough justification, you can automatically succeed at a task involving knowing specific information
- Monoc security files : Once per session, you can request all intel that Monoc has on a target. Creates or reveal an aspect with 2 free invokes (tags)
- Raven Kin : You have 2 fonctional black wings hidden by a glamour, allowing you short flights.
- Baroness of Beer : Your academic knowledge of alcoolic beverages gives you a +2 on social interactions where you could choose or bring the drink.

The chooser of the dead sounds as a given (that's what Valkyries do, after all), but apart from that, those stunts are very Monoc Security Councilor themed (i.e. this is the "I want to play Sigrun Gard" Mantle), so if your Valk is not a Monoc merc, or is more a pro assassin than a security councilor, there are probably provisions to be made (the "perfect memory" could become a "perfect eye", for example)

Maybe not DFA's most inspired Mantle (the mortal mantles like clued-in-mortal or criminal are pure love ), but it may help you.

As for the sorcerer : It sounds like a... difficult player. I had a few myself (until I "forgot" to invite the at my games), so I wish you the best of luck ^^

Re: Starting a New FATE Dresdenfiles setting. First time GMing the system. Need Help!

Valkyrie is set up and she's happy with it. Got one of the White Court vamps settled. Getting the other one pinned down today.

I'm just going to try and wing it with the Sorcerer and The Warden.

I have 3 more people, maybe 4 if one of them ever decides to confirm joining, to stat out.

But for now, I pose a question for a possible NPC.

I have the idea of giving the Warden a moral conundrum. A mortal who isn't breaking the laws of Magic, but is doing some **** that risks either exposing the supernatural scene, and is skirting some of the laws. Possibly with out even using magic (See below.).

So, If it were put to you to stat out the Pulp Character The Shadow, mostly as he's scene in the actual original pulps and perhaps with the radio versions ability to get people to do obviously self destructive things and see things that aren't there (Hold a Grenade after he's yanked the pin and primed it and made ready to throw it, instead of actually throwing it into a crowd, so that he blows himself up instead of the crowd. See things that aren't really on the road so that he'll drive through them, realize there not there, and then ignore it when something really IS on the road, and of course his invisibility except for his shadow when he's in bright light, and ability to do things like convince people most firmly, always, that there IS no shadow. Like, say, the chief of police. ),

As a human (no Vampires or Fey.),

who can do these things with out breaking the laws of magic? Bonus points if there not actually magic enough to mess up tech, or somehow a vanilla mortal.